San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-11-16
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER, Is, 1887.
UNHAPPY IRELAND.

The situation In Ireland grows no bet
ter. The iron hand Of an allen govern
ment is laid with crushing weight upon
that unhappy people. The rights Of
Irishmen have not vet weighed one APP
preciable atom when weighed In the
scales of government equity. The ser
vices of the Irish soldiery, which have
made the English arms illustrious on
every battlefield OF Europe and carried
British rule TO the far of en-
pire OF India, have never been
requited. In the distribution of
national honors, in the rewards for dis
tinguIshed services, in the considerations
which wait upon such services. Irish
men have only been remembered as they
ossed to be distinctively Irish. The
whole policy Of Great Britain for GEN.
fury past has been to denationalize
Ireland. Her greatest offence today is
that she will not forget herself. Her
crime consists in demanding recognition
OF herself. Her mortal sin lies in her
refusal to become so absorbed in the
wholes Of British empire as to cease
to be distinotively herself. England
virtually demands Of Ireland that she
shall cease to be, as Ireland. and exist
only as q dependency of the British
crown. She would have Irishmen for
get their ancient honor, their old-time
glory, their former freedom, their pecu-
liar institutions, their high state of civ
iliZatiOn before Norman kings bore
rule on English soil, and ali that their
traditions hold dear. She would
have the Irishman of today for
get all these, and grovel as the
mere vsssal OF an English court. Ire
land refuses to do this. Holds herself
too dear in her own tear-blistered eyes
to surrender her autonomy, her self
hood to the demands of English AFRO.
gance and the Entertainments of an
English aristocraCy and the corruptiOns
Of an English parliament. The suffer
ings OF her past are multiplied in the az
flictiOns OF her present. Her beloved
sons are dungeOned in her own jails
with English guards before their doors.
Freedom Of speech is denied her chill
dren and it is made an offense to voice
their wrongs. The sword of English
cruelty and injustice smites the mouth
that utters words of condemnation, and
murder executes the sentence Of tyranny,
The right of petition is denied, the pow
er of remOnstrsDoe is denied, the assem-
bling Of the people to discuss their own
helplessDess is denied, the publishing Of
their wrongs Is denied, the trial of her
accused is denied at the bar Of equity.
and the accuser lie made both judge, jury
and executioner. The recent determine
tions Of the English cabinet TO intimi-
date the Irish people until there shall be
no hope nor power of help remaining In
them, gives little room to look fOr,any
lifting OF the sombre cloud that
lowers over that most unhappy
people. The few EnglIshmen who
dare raise their voices In behalf Of
down-trodden and persecuted Irishmen,
are subjected to indignity, arrested,
summarily jailed, and made to feel In
every way the tyranny of the English
cabinet. The queen selflshly alive only
to her own interests and her family
cash box makes no remonstrance, and
gives no sign that the woes Of Ireland
have caused one thrill within her am
pie bosom. In the meantime once pop
ulous county is becoming robbed OF its
people, a once prosperous and a once
happy people have become the synonym
for all that 1t is fearful, wretched, de.
spairing and hopeless. This condition
cannot continue. Ireland grows FESTIVE,
and justice must soon be melted out
to her, OF she will mete out vengeance
to her oppressor. 1t will soon be too
late to provide a refuge against this
retribution.
GEN. SHERIDAN, Notwithstanding his